CLAYTON, Mo. — A St. Louis County man has been convicted of
beating and sexually humiliating two

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 22-year-old
Nicholas Nettles of Northwoods was the last of four defendants. The men held
the teens in a home for several hours in October 2011, recording the attacks
and posting them on Facebook.

Police say the teens, ages 16 and 17, were tied to a chair
with duct tape, thrown down stairs, beaten with sticks and burned with
cigarettes. They were forced to shower naked together, kiss each other and
stand outdoors wearing girls' underwear. Nettles was convicted Wednesday of
eight crimes, including kidnapping, sexual exploitation of a minor and
third-degree assault. Sentencing is Jan. 31.

The victims knew their attackers. The crime was reported
after a mother saw her son looking at a Facebook posting.

Defense attorneys claimed it was horseplay that got out of hand.

But prosecutor Sheila Whirley said the crime was
"extreme bullying" and "worse than bullying. This is criminal
conduct that goes beyond bullying. They just wanted to victimize
somebody."

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The Spirit In Which It Is Given

Well, there is a lot of pain and sorrow, sacrifice, rage and insanity, anxiety and confusion. And that is just the first 5 minutes.Please accept these stories and posts in the spirit in which they are given- to edify, to lift, to lighten, to validate, to weep.Because also: love and sacrifice, wisdom and justice, clarity and gifts. Sometimes it takes more than 5 minutes.Today I added K's story to this blog. She was a little 18 year old when she was deceived into a night of betrayal and crime; trafficked; bought and sold. it is profoundly disturbing that her betrayer was another woman, a wolf in sheep's clothing. hang in there, everybody. Everything is OK in the end. If it isn't ok, it's not the end.